FARMERS' REGISTER— CALCAREOUS MANURES— COTTON, &c. 581 



early part of summer, and then it soon covers the sur- 

 face, if the season and condition of the soil are favora- 

 ble. It makes delightful hay, and would be a very val- 

 uable crop for tlie Southern country, but for its requiring 

 the indespensable preparation of well ploughing the 

 soil, and the uncertainty of the growth afterwards.] 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 SPECIMENS OF CALCAREOUS MANURES. 



We have received and examined various specimens 

 of earths, from beds of fossil shells, and other calcare- 

 ous deposites. Several specimens contained less than 

 two per cent of carbonate of lime, and of course are 

 worthless as calcareous manures. The proportions of 

 calcareous matter in other specimens, which had noth- 

 ing remarkable in their location, or uncommon in their 

 quality, have been reported by letters to the individuals 

 who sent them, and who alone are interested in their 

 value. The following are here more particularly de- 

 scribed, because either the location has been of recent 

 discovery, or other circumstances render the facts ol 

 some importance to the public. 



1. Marl, or bed of fossil shells in Middlesex, from 

 which Mr. Dormer Oaks has been taking large quanti- 

 ties to Maryland for sale, as stated in Mr. Roy's letter, 

 (Farmers' Register, No. 9, p. 534.) It is almost while, 

 and the shells are so reduced as scarcely to be visi- 

 ble. The proportion of carbonate of lime in the speci- 

 men examined, amounted to 83 grains in the 100. 



2. Lumps of a calcareous deposite on the land ol 

 Major Peter Jones of Lunenburg, selected and sent by 

 Wm. H. Macfarland, Esq. To the eye, they appeared 

 similar to the concretions scattered through the argilla- 

 ceous marl discovered in Prince Edward, by Dr. Mor- 

 ton ; and which was. described in No. 1. This speci- 

 men contained 70 per cent of carbonate of lime. 



3. Lime rock, or fossil shells, forming stony masses, 

 from Lenoir County, N. C. 48 per cent. 



4. Another extensive body from the same neighbor- 

 hood, 75 per cent. These are from the lands of Col. 

 Isaac Croom, who reports that these mineral riches are 

 most abundant in that part of North Carolina. He 

 is now beginning to make the first use of them. 



5. A box of loose and small fragments of fossil shells, 

 from Nansemond, of yellowish brown color, as if tinged 

 by rust of iron. The nature, and the great richness of 

 this mass was so evident to the eye, that no examina- 

 tion would have been deemed necessary, but for the re- 

 markable want of information on this subject which 

 prevails where this rich manure abounds. The follow- 

 ing letter, which accompanied this sample, shows that 

 the people who possess these treasures, are deplorably 

 in need of instruction as to their proper use. This 

 marl contains 81 per cent of carbonate of lime — and its 

 great strength, and the profuse manner in which it was 

 spread on the land, doubtless caused the injury, expe- 

 rienced from its limited use. 



[Extract of a letter to the Editor.] 

 Chuckatuck, Nansemond, Jan. 1st, 1834. 

 I have taken the liberty to forward you a sample 

 of what we here call marl, and earnestly request 

 of you, that you will test its quality, and inform 

 us through the medium of your Register, whether 

 or not it possesses any valuable quality as a ma- 



nure, or retainer of manure. Our neighborhood 

 abounds in this earth; and in addition to the great 

 abundance of it, it is found very near tlie surface, 

 and is very easy of access. A "number of persons 

 have made (rial of (his marl, hut frou) our igno- 

 rance, or the injudicious manner in wiiich it was 

 applied, have suffered injury, instead of obtaining 

 the benefit expecfed. Its use has therefore been 

 entirely abandoned here. Your attention to this 

 suliject, will no doubt, greatly benefit a part of our 

 state, where nature has done much, but which 

 negligence has brought to extreme poverty. 



ON THE CULTURE OF COTTON, AND THE ROT. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



I have read the Farmers' Register wilh pleasure, 

 and feel so much indebted to it, for the information 

 received, that I am induced to give in my mite, in 

 as short and brief a manner as possible, hoping it 

 may be a benefit to any new beginner, who may 

 think proper to follow it the present year. I have 

 been a cultivator of the cotton crop for thirteen 

 years, and have tried all reasonable suggestions by 

 others, with my own, till 1828; from that time, I 

 have pursued the following plan. I haul out my 

 coarse manure and scatter it on the land, where it 

 is most stifl" and close, and then use a one, or two- 

 horse turning plough to plough the manure in, but 

 am careful not to break the land more than three 

 or four inches deep. I then haul out my fine ma- 

 nure on another part of my cotton land, and let it 

 remain in ox load heaps, till I can (inish ploughing 

 the land with the same turning plough, or a trow- 

 el hoe plough, as I may find most convenient, and 

 then scatter the fine manure, and harrow it in with 

 a five-tooth harrow. 



The next operation, is to prepare for sowing the 

 seed, which is about the 10th of April — not sooner. 

 I first mark ofT single furrows with a trowel-hoe 

 plough, to bed on, from three to 3^ and four feet 

 apart, as I may think best for the land, the p-orest 

 three feet, and the richest four. I then run one 

 furrow, with a one-horse turning plough, on eacK 

 side of the single furrow, to form the bed on the 

 light land that is easy to manage, but on the 

 stiff or stumpy and rooty land, I run two furrows 

 on each side of tlie single furrow with the same- 

 turning plough, to form the bed — and at tlie same- 

 time, guard against turning up the coarse manure 

 as much as possible, to prevent its being in the 

 way of future operations. But the fine manure 

 will become well mixed in the soil, so as not to> 

 evaporate or sink, as much as if it were on thesur- 

 fiice of the earth, or turned under. I then open 

 the beds on the light land, with a piece of wood 

 fixed in a plough nearly in tlie shape of a trowel -hoe 

 helve ; but on stifTor stumpy and rooty land, I open, 

 with a small trowel hoe, or cutter, and then sow 

 the dry cotton seed nicely in the opening furrow, 

 and on the light land use a block, about eighteen 

 inches long, six by four inches, with a helve fixed 

 in it on one of the six inch sides, like the helve of 

 a trowel hoe, and hollow it out on the lower front 

 edge or corner, and on the under side, and fix it in 

 the beam of a one-horse plough, to cover the seed. 

 On the stiff, or stumpy and rooty land, I cover with 

 the feet, or a small hand rake, which is preferable. 



As soon as the seed are well sprouted, so as to 

 begin to crack the earth above them, I run the 

 same covering block over the beds on the light 



